Public digital · 6 min read

Readiness before the tender: making a digital requirement buildable

A tender can describe screens and still leave the actual service undefined. The most useful work often happens before a vendor is asked to estimate anything.

Start with the service, not the page count

List the people trying to complete a task, the decisions they need to make and the internal team responsible for the outcome. Pages follow from those journeys. Beginning with a sitemap alone usually preserves the institution’s internal structure instead of helping the public.

Turn compliance into design evidence

Accessibility and government guidelines should shape content structure, navigation, forms, language, contrast, keyboard behaviour and document handling from the beginning. A checklist at the end cannot repair decisions that excluded people at the start.

Name the operational owner

Every content type, form, integration and public commitment needs an owner after launch. Define who can publish, who reviews accuracy, how requests are routed and what happens when an integration fails.

Procure an outcome that can be verified

Ask for working increments, acceptance criteria, accessibility evidence, a security and deployment approach, documentation and a handover plan. This makes proposals comparable and reduces surprises after award.

Start with the service, not the page count

Turn compliance into design evidence

Name the operational owner

Procure an outcome that can be verified

See where the systemneeds attention first.

See where the system
needs attention first.